Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears: Cutler to Marshall Bears to win at Soldier Field

AbelsonInfo - Reuben Thomas
13 September 2013

Jay Cutler will be calling the shots at Soldier Field...

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Week Two and time to take a closer look at the live televised games. First the match-up between the Vikings and the Bears in Chicago and despite the obvious threat of Adrian Petersen for the Vikings Reuben Thomas sees a Bears victory on the cards...

'Last season the Bears developed a reputation for their ball hunting defence that ended with the most forced turnovers in the league. Whether it be big hitting, stripping or picking the Chicago D was arguably it’s biggest weapon especially at home.'

Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears
Live on Sky Sports 2
Sunday 18:00

The first live televised action on Sunday comes from Chicago as the Bears welcome the Minnesota Vikings to Soldier Field. After a gutsy opening day win over a strong Cincinnati team and with the home field advantage the Bears are rightly installed as solid favourites.

Last season the Bears developed a reputation for their ball hunting defence that ended with the most forced turnovers in the league. Whether it be big hitting, stripping or picking the Chicago D was arguably it's biggest weapon especially at home.

Last week they showed their prowess once again as the cornerbacks came up with big plays, Charles Tillman snatched two interceptions and Tim Jennings managed a pair of forced fumbles.

A strong showing from the Bears defence was no surprise but the form that quarterback Jay Cutler showed in week one may have been less predictable. Cutler has been often criticised for his inconsistency but at his best he has an arm to dismantle most defences and he showed great poise in the opener.

It helped that he had Brandon Marshall to aim at, he caught for over 1,500 yards last season and started this campaign with a ton and a TD. He'll always be the go-to-guy but Cutler made good use of both Martellus Bennett and Alshon Jeffrey last week and is showing a less predictable approach to his options.

Cutler may flourish this year due to a beefed up offensive line which means he won't have to step so far back behind the pocket to create time to find a receiver. At running back the tandem of Matt Forte and Michael Bush were pretty unproductive against Cincy but expect them to up their numbers this Sunday.

For the Vikings Gameweek One was less encouraging. Almost unsurprisingly the phenomenal Adrian Petersen ran for a 78 yard touchdown on the opening offensive play of the game but after that the Vikings looked out of sorts.

Petersen didn't even end up with three figures and Christian Ponder looked unsure all game, he threw three interceptions and gave up a fumble. He seems to instill little confidence in his team especially on the road where he has always struggled. His long term position in Minnesota must be under threat but for now they will rally around him and try and start again on Sunday.

The one connection that was a plus for Ponder last week was with receiver Jerome Simpson, they combined for 140 yards, that's over half the yards he managed all last season for the Vikings. The Bears will have watched the game tapes and that combo is likely to be shut down this week, instead expect Greg Jennings to get a lot more game time this Sunday.

The Vikings will be hoping to avoid their fifth straight loss in Chicago but unless Petersen provides the magic all night it look unlikely. An under confident and turnover prone Christian Ponder facing up against a hungry Chicago defence at Soldier Field and a revamped Bears offence with a sharp Jay Cutler, a Bears win seems inevitable.